As oil and gas operators work to reduce costs and increase their overall efficiency, they seek new ways to maintain and improve their production output. In many cases, existing well operations offer a more cost-effective alternative to drilling new wells. Although horizontal shale wells typically produce at significantly reduced rates after a few years, many still contain large quantities of unrecovered oil and gas. Refracturing is one method of drawing out these hidden resources.

During an initial round of hydraulic fracturing, operators use a mixture of water and chemicals to break apart rock before supplementing the fluid with sand, which opens rock fissures and facilitates the flow of oil and gas. Refracturing can allow companies to access resources in areas of rock left untouched by earlier fracking or drilling activities. Although operators have used the technique at vertical wells for over two decades, advancements in both horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have allowed for more efficient refracturing at horizontal wells.

Experts project that refracturing could revive production at approximately 75,000 wells across the United States. Proponents of the practice note that it can stimulate both natural fissures and bypassed pay intervals, and that it can be especially promising for older unconventional wells where operators used less sand, or “proppant,” and fewer drilling stages. By refracturing with more proppant and a higher perforation cluster density, operators stand a chance of reinvigorating production for a fraction of the cost of drilling a new well. Experts predict that as companies continue to optimize the practice, integrating key data techniques such as microseismic monitoring, refracturing will see increased use in the North American energy sector.

The Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas, recently brought together a number of prominent figures in the North American oil and gas industry, including government officials and business leaders. Throughout the event, participants discussed various strategies that could help to position the entire continent as a global energy leader. With the United States and Canada currently among the top-five oil producers in the world, Mexico plans to increase its production following its current energy policy reform efforts. According to Gustavo Hernandez Garcia of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), Mexico must create an oil and gas business environment offering clearly stated regulations, limited political interference, and attractive contracts in order to harness the technical resources necessary for modern energy operations.

US officials such as Paula Gant, the Office of Fossil Energy’s deputy assistant secretary for oil and natural gas, posited that the North American energy sector would benefit from an increased focus on public data mapping, as well as the development of modern infrastructure and industry best practices. Attendees also identified cost-effective strategies, including the use of efficient new technologies, as key to the industry’s development.

Other attendees stressed the important of collaboration between the business and regulatory sectors of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Texas Representative Bill Flores, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, also noted a lack of oil and gas industry knowledge in Congress. As a potential solution, several conference participants promoted partnerships between federal agencies and oil and gas operators to aid the development of mutually acceptable regulations.

Around the world, oil and gas industry specialists have been retooling their methodologies, thanks to low crude prices during the last few years. Despite the falling cost for a barrel of oil, a wide range of technology-focused firms are enjoying considerable growth as the energy sector begins seeking out cost-saving solutions that will allow for continued profits in a new economic reality. Several companies have developed innovative products and services that promise to improve existing wells and cut rig development time.

Some of these technologies are deceptively simple, such as the Kodiak Enhanced Perforating system, a rocket-fuel powered fracking technology that enables rig owners to obtain more oil from dry shale. Other companies, like Baker Hughes, have focused on collecting huge amounts of data to identify and correct inefficiencies. New rigs still need to be built, however, and companies like WellDog Inc. and GroundMetrics Inc. have developed spectroscopy and electromagnetic technology, respectively, to help ensure that wells are dug in exactly the right spot.

The risks posed by safety hazards in the oil and gas sector are often greater than those of many other industries and can present a threat to the economy, environment, and human life. However, emerging oil and gas industry technologies play an increasingly significant role in preventing health, safety, and environment (HSE) hazards. The increased connectivity offered by mobile technologies in particular presents a host of benefits to the sector.

Using mobile tools, HSE personnel can easily file and access oil field environmental reports, streamlining the report delivery process and making crucial oil field information accessible from the field. Mobile technologies also allow oil and gas professionals to create and receive HSE hazard updates in real time, thereby facilitating the swift implementation of safety and security measures. Moreover, such tools offer visualizations of oil field data, allowing for a quick and comprehensive understanding of oil field conditions. Perhaps most importantly, mobile technologies serve to bridge the communication gap between oil field workers and managers. Using mobile HSE tools, the oil field workforce can convey crucial HSE information to management as operations progress. Oil field managers are able to stay abreast of operational developments regardless of location and can address HSE issues promptly and effectively.

Recent commodity price trends in the oil and gas sector have led many firms to seek alternatives to new well drilling, targeting opportunities for lowered costs and increased production efficiency instead. An innovation by international oilfield technology developer Flotek is set to expand opportunities for hydraulic fracturing operations in existing unconventional wells. The firm has developed Complex nano-Fluid (CnF) chemistries that will allow oil and gas companies to remediate or restimulate existing wells. When treated with CnF chemistries, wells can experience renewed production levels as high as 70 percent and may even return to their original production capacities. As the cost of well restimulation with CnF technology is far lower than that of drilling a new well, Flotek’s technology presents a cost-effective option for many firms looking to expand production.

In most cases, CnF treatment does not require the complete refracturing of existing wells. Instead, the technology uses a coil-tubing unit to facilitate a pump and pressure treatment. The fluid system will not only penetrate the formation’s existing fractures but will also clear blockages caused by clogging particles such as paraffins and asphaltenes. Flotek also offers additional value with its Fracmax database, which the firm uses to identify existing wells that are likely to benefit from CnF remediation.

In September 1960, representatives from the nations of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and Venezuela joined together at the Baghdad Conference to form OPEC, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. The immediate goal was to prevent lowered oil prices on the global market. Over the succeeding years, the international trade group has gone on to promote its members’ economic and political interests during times of peace and world crisis alike.

A year after its establishment, OPEC welcomed Qatar to its ranks. Subsequent years saw the additions of several African countries (including Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Gabon, and Angola) as well as the United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, and Indonesia. Gabon and Indonesia have since left the organization. Ecuador suspended its membership in 1992 and did not rejoin for another 15 years.

In 1965, the group transferred its headquarters from Geneva, Switzerland, to its present-day base in Vienna, Austria.

In 1973, the Arab nations of OPEC imposed an oil embargo on the United States and some other Western countries because of their support of Israel in the Yom Kippur War that year. The embargo, which ended in 1974, led to a burgeoning energy crisis in the West.

Today, OPEC members have begun to focus on increasing their degree of collaboration to craft environmentally sound policies that also support developments within the oil industry.

A privately held company, Sentry Energy Production LLC provides oil and natural gas exploration services. While based in Texas, Sentry Energy Production LLC partners with energy firms across the nation and utilizes common drilling techniques like fracking to access natural reserves.

Also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracking is a common practice used in excavating natural resources, like oil and gas, below the earth’s surface. Specifically, it is utilized to reach areas that are inaccessible without modern technology. To ensure fracking does not cause additional harm to the environment, scientists and researchers use three-dimensional imaging to identify the precise location of shale rock layers saturated with natural oil and gas. At this point, drilling and well construction occur.

Fracking uses both vertical and horizontal drilling. As such, the need for multiple wells in one region is heavily reduced. Drilling begins in one central location, and upon reaching the depth necessary to access the natural resources, the process converts to horizontal drilling and branches out to reach the gas-bearing rocks. Heavy water pressure is then extracted to create fractures in the rocks, which allows the oil and natural gas to flow out of the well.

A privately held oil and gas exploration company, Sentry Energy Production LLC is headquartered in Addison, Texas. Focused on extracting resources from wells that may have been previously overlooked or that were not considered commercially productive, Sentry Energy Production LLC frequently uses a pumpjack. The device mechanically extracts oil from a well when the pressure is inadequate to push the liquid to the surface. Historically, pumpjacks were utilized for wells that had low oil production levels. Pumpjacks are frequently used in areas that are rich in oil.

A pumpjack, which generates 5 to 40 liters of liquid in each stroke, is characterized by a beam that is moved by an outside power source. As the beam ascends and descends, the end dips into a well in order to extract oil. The opposite end is attached to a pulley that is connected to a power source, which causes the continual movement of the pumpjack. A pumpjack transforms the rotary movement of the motor to a reciprocating motion in order to drive the pump shaft.

Sentry Energy Production LLC is a private oil and gas exploration firm that focuses on developing targeted lower-risk areas and already developed areas. Capitalizing on the state’s reputation as the nation’s leading oil producer, Sentry Energy Production LLC is poised to take advantage of the United States’ growing reputation as a global energy producer.

Since 2010, the United States has been the world’s leading natural gas producer. The nation is projected to also become the world’s leading oil producer by 2015, reaching its highest production levels since 1972, according to a June 2014 report by the Oil & Gas Journal. Due in part to expansion efforts and new drill sites enabled by hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking;” new technology; and record investments in the industry exceeding $200 billion, the United States is on track to eclipse even Russia and Saudi Arabia. With 9.6 billion barrels of proven reserves and 15 percent growth in production as of 2013, the state of Texas alone accounts for over one-third of the nation’s daily total production.

Sentry Energy Production

As the U.S. government and its residents attempt to become less dependent on foreign oil and gas, oil and natural gas exploration and development firm Sentry Energy Production LLC seeks out reserves in the most efficient manner.